Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg: Memorial to the Victims of the Bombing of the Viapori Fortress, 1860. You may not use this photo for commercial purposes. © Photo: Helsinki Art Museum Memorial to the Victims of the Bombing of the Viapori Fortress Artist Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg , Helsinki The Crimean War had repercussions in Finland. England and France had formed an alliance to oppose Russian expansion in Turkey. In 1854, the English-French fleet intercepted all vessels sailing the Baltic Sea under the Russian flag. Also Finnish ships fell into their hands. Anti-English sentiments were roused among the bourgeoisie, and volunteer corps were established in the cities to complement the Russian standing army. The main theatre of operations in the war was the Åland islands. Especially on the west coast the war took on a destructive character and gradually moved towards the east. In the summer of 1855 the fleet arrived outside the Viapori fortress and commenced bombarding. In spite of heavy bombing the fortress held and the Allied fleet withdrew from the coast. The memorial of the bombardment¿s victims was erected by the Russian Navy to commemorate the Russian soldiers killed during the bombardment. The monument carries the inscription (in Russian): “In memory of the 63 seamen and soldiers who died in the bombardment by English-French fleet of the fortress of Sveaborg (Viapori) on 10 August 1855”. The work doesn’t belong to the collections of the Helsinki Art Museum. Read more.. At map
